June 20, 2007

Summertime at Your Library

The annual summer break from school is upon us. Hooray! But all parents know that it won't take long for those first few joyous days of vacation to turn to boredom. Have we got a deal for you! Bladen County Public Library is gearing up for their annual cure for the summer blues.

The library will begin summer programs with weekly movies at all three branches. Bridger Memorial in Bladenboro and the Clarkton Library will show movies every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Elizabethtown Library will have movie time every Tuesday at 2 p.m.

The next date to mark on your calendar is Wednesday, June 20 at the Elizabethtown Library. Ranger Shane Freeman will give tips on Campfire Safety at 3:30 p.m. We may even toast a few marshmallows to practice!

On Thursday, June 28, Red Herring Puppets will zoom into town to present “Rowby's Travels” at 6 p.m. This award-winning puppet show is sponsored by the Arts Council of Bladen County and Elizabethtown Wal-Mart.

Bladen County Public Library has great ways to make this summer the best yet. Check us out!

Free bluegrass music get together

Old time music and acoustic picking and singing. Bring your guitar, banjo or your favorite instrument, or just sit back and enjoy. It is June 30, 5-9 p.m., Waccamaw Park, Hwy. 130, Ash. Food friends and music. We are not affiliated with any society or club.

Lumbee Tribal Council meeting

The next Lumbee Tribal Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 21, at 6:30 p.m. at The Regional Center for Economic, Community and Professional Development in Pembroke.

The Regional Center is located at COMtech on Hwy. 711 between Pembroke and Lumberton. For directions to the Regional Center, visit http://www.uncp.edu/rc/directions.htm.

Bladen County Hurricane Preparedness Expo

The 2nd Annual Hurricane Preparedness Expo will be held on Tuesday, July 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Powell-Melvin Agricultural Service Center in Elizabethtown. The purpose of the Expo is to inform people about what they need to do to get ready for the Hurricane Season.

George Elliott, WECT TV 6 Chief Meteorologist, will be a guest speaker. Presentations include preparing disaster kits, tips when going to the shelter and pet first aid. Booths will be set up providing educational information to help you prepare before and after a storm. There will be free hotdogs and several doorprizes at the expo.

Come see what you need to do to get your family and pets prepared for this hurricane season! For more information, contact Becky Spearman or Sandra Cain at 862-4591.

Board of Education

meeting cancelled

The Bladen County Board of Education meeting scheduled for Monday, June 25, is cancelled. The next regular scheduled Board of Education meeting will be held Monday, July 9, at the Board of Education Administration Building. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

Tribe Festival

The Greater McKoy’s Chapel would like to invite you to the first ever Trbe Festival. Gospel music featuring the mighty Echoes, Cross Ties, Richard White, Keeping Company.

Come out and enjoy the fun June 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Greater McKoy’s Chapel located at 284 Center Road, Dublin. Bring your own lawn chairs for the outdoor concert. Admission is free.

Carver’s Creek Development Organization sponser

Summer Enrichment program at the Baltimore Center in Carvers Creek. This program will begin Monday, June 25, with our staff and volunteers from 8:30 until 9:30. Registration for children and teens ages 3 to 16, hours 8:30 until 12:30 — Monday through Thursday. Lunch will be served at 11:30-noon.

For more information, call Mary McLean Andrews at 669-2728 or Doris Williams at 669-2919.

McKoy’s Five Day reunion celebration

We are so excited! Starting Wednesday, July 4 at the homeplace, the family of the late Ottis McKoy willhost and kick off our five-day reunion; Thursday night, 6 p.m., White Lake Town Hall our annual Samuel L. Smith Scholarship Banquet; Friday night, 7 p.m., talent show, fashion show and memorial service; Saturday, 8 a.m., fishing, games, annual picnic, etc.; and Sunday the big finale at New Hope Missionary Baptist chiurch for Sunday School, worship service and gravesite visit. The McKoy Family Reunion Choirwill furnish the music. Yes you're invited; for more information, call 645-4858.

Keaton family reunion

The descendants of Wesley and Norah Keaton will celebrate their heritage on July 7 in East Arcadia, at the home-place of Wallie and the late Buck Keaton.

The day’s activities will begin with a visit to the burial place of the Rev. Richard Keaton at Canetuck Baptist Church and Wes Keaton at the Lloyd Plantation

Slave Cemetery. The tour guides will be historians Earnestine Keaton and Cecile Bryant.

Please bring a covered dish for the fish fry starting start at 1 p.m. Contact: Earnestine Keaton @(910) 655-2801 or ektn10@aol.com.

Vacation Bible School

Briar Branch Baptist Church will host Vacation Bible School, "Game Day Central" from June 24 through June 29 from 6-9 p.m. nightly.

Kick-off game time and registration is Saturday, June 23, from 1-5 p.m., featuring a water slide and games, fun, and food for all ages.

Everyone is invited to join in the Bible study, music, recreation and food each night.

The church is located on N.C. 242 approximately eight miles north of Elizabethtown.

Woodmen of the World Elizabethtown meeting

Woodmen of the World Lodge # 865 Elizabethtown, will meet Tuesday, June 19, at 7 p.m., at the Woodmen Building on Hwy. 242 N.

Fourth of July Pageant

Applications are available for the Fourth Annual Bladen County 4th of July Pageant. The pageant will take place July 7 at 6 p.m. at LuMil Vineyard in Dublin. Proceeds benefit the March of Dimes. Contestants are needed in all age groups from Baby Miss to Mrs. Please call Michelle Fisher at 910-669-3204 for an application or e-mail fisher1@intrstar.net. The deadline for entries has been extended is June 24.

4-H now taking registrations for Summer Academy

Bladen County 4-H is now accepting applications for registration for the 24th annual 4-H Summer Academy. This summer, we are offering a variety of programs for youth ages 5 -18. For more information, check out the Web site at http://bladen.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=youth4h or contact Cooperative Extension at 862-4591.We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Dublin First Baptist Church Day School

Accepting Applications

Dublin First Baptist Church Day School is now accepting applications for childen ages 3-4 for their half-day preschool program for classes beginning September 2007. Please call 645-6886 for more information or to receive a registration packet.

National HIV Testing Day

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 180,000-280,000 Americans do not know that they are infected with HIV. Americans that do know they are infected continue to engage in behavior that could jeopardize their health and the health of others. Free confidential testing is available through the Bladen County Health Department at 862-6900. Counseling and resources are available about receiving help if testing proves positive. Funding through Dogwood Consortium and other funded programs are available for for qualified applicants. Bladen County Health Department has a case manager available for counseling and to assist with medication and medical needs. All information is free and confidential. See your local healthcare provider. The local public health departmen offers free confidential testing.

McKoy-Elliott Family Reunion

Planning has begun for the annual McKoy-Elliott family reunion, slated to be held the weekend of June 23-24. The reunion will include a family picnic at Jungle Rapids Water Park in Wilmington, amd a worship service Sunday at Mt. Olive AME Zion Church.

The decendants of Vann and Fannie McKoy — Peter and Manerva Elliott — may contact the reunion coordinator, Rosetta Smith, if you have any questions or need additional information, at 862-2797.

BCC Board meeting rescheduled

The Bladen Community College Board of Trustees meeting has been rescheduled from June 25 until June 18. It will be held in the BCC Administration Board Room at 6 p.m.

The public is invited.

Recipes needed for

Extension cookbook

The Bladen County Extension & Community Association is publishing a cookbook and needs recipes from past and present members of Home Demonstration Clubs, Extension Homemakers and ECA. Please either send or bring them to the Extension

Office on Smith Circle, Elizabethtown. The address is PO Box 249, Elizabethtown, NC 28337

17th and 18th Districts

Masonic and Sunday School outing

The Masonic and Sunday outing will be held June 23 at the Jones Lake State Park. Churches and lodges, if you have not made your $45 donation for this event, please do so by May 31 in order for the committee to properly prepare for the event. Send all correspondence to the secretary, Sister Grace George, 2553 Old Glade Road, Whiteville, NC 28472.

Buy a Brick for military men and women

A new military monument will be constructed by the Bladen County Military Museum on a brick patio at 818 S. Main St., Bladenboro. The bricks will be $100 apiece and will honor all branches of service beginning with the Revolutionary War. The monument will be located on the grounds of the Bladenboro Historical Society between two brick columns.

For more information, call 863-4707.

Summer grief camp

Most children experience the grief that comes with the death of someone they know — a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle, close friend, or extended family member. Children grieve differently than adults and often need assistance to work through it. Lower Cape Fear Hospice & LifeCareCenter has developed Sunshine Camp, a day camp for all children coping with the death of a loved one. Campers experience the enjoyment of a summer camp, and together they express emotions, share memories, release anger, address their feelings, come to terms with their grief, and begin looking to the future. Art, music, writing, playing, movement, and other therapies help campers share feelings and concerns, build friendships, and have fun. These activities help children understand loss and death in a healthy manner.

Three different camp sessions will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Children's Learning Center, 735 Medical Center Drive. The first week, June 11 to 15, is for rising second and third graders; week two, June 25 to 29, for rising fourth and fifth graders; and week 3, July 9 to 13, for rising sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Camp facilitators are Lorraine Perry, bereavement counselor and healing arts therapist, and Amy Prestwood, bereavement counselor.

The camp has a charge of $25 to cover cost of supplies. Parent inquiries are welcome, and assessments may be required. Sunshine Camp is sponsored in part by Landfall Foundation. For more information, call 910.815.3971 or 800.733.1476.

Woodmen of the World meeting

The Woodmen of the World, Elizabethtown Lodge # 865 will have a meeting the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Woodmen Lodge on Hwy. 242 N.

Soccer Camp

The number one youth soccer camp in the Unites States is coming to Bladen County. Challenger Sports is hosting one of their nationwide British soccer training camps right here in Bladen County. The camp will run the week of July 23, 2007, it will be held at the Bladen County Soccer Complex at the County Park on Hwy 701. To sign up for the camp, either visit www.challengersports.com or contact Jon Lewis at (919) 266-1516, or e-mail jlewis@challengersports.com

Camp Dixie summer camp registration

It’s time to register for summer camp at Camp Dixie. Located on Hwy. 87, south of Fayetteville, eight miles from St. Pauls. Camp Dixie offers programs for children graded 2-6 and teens grades 7-12. Visit our Web site — www.campdixie.com — for more information or to register online, or call (910) 865-5180.

Evening GED class ongoing in E'town

The Basic Skills Department of Bladen Community College has a new GED class in Elizabethtown at the Paul Brown Center, 1360 Martin Luther King Drive.

The class meets Monday through Wednesday, 5:30-8:30 p.m. and is free.

For information call the Basic Skills Department at 879-5561 or 879-5587.

Housing Authority meetings

The Elizabethtown Housing Authority meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building in Elizabethtown.

The Clarkton Housing Authority meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Oakdale Homes Community Building in Clarkton.

The Bladenboro Housing Authority meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Housing Authority administration office in Bladenboro.

Pre-K and kindergarten physicals

Is your child starting Pre-K or kindergarten this year? If so, contact Bladen County Health Department today to schedule a physical exam. Appointments are scheduled every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8:30-10 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Immunizations may also be given at this appointment if needed. Physical includes vision and hearing screenings. Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and United Healthcare accepted. Payment based on income also available for those without insurance. Call 862-6900 for appointments.

Woodmen of the World will meet

Woodmen of the World, Lodge 208, Bladenboro, will meet the first Monday night of the month. All members are invited to come enjoy a meal and business meeting at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call Craig Waters, FIC, at 648-4414.

Looking for volunteers

For plays, skits, singing

Extra! Extra! I am looking for people of all ages that are interested in volunteering for plays, skits and singing as a ministry. All songs and plays are Christian based. To learn more, call (910) 648-6910. This is an opportunity to serve the Lord.

BCC GED class

available in Tar Heel

The Bladen Community College Basic Skills program is offering a GED class in the Tar Heel Multipurpose Building (the old fire station) across from Tar Heel Middle School. The class is free and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Registration is open and individuals may begin at any time.

For information, call 879-5529 or 879-5587.

Kelly Historical Society

The Kelly Historical Society meets on the third Saturday each month at 10 a.m. at the Kelly Museum. For more information, call 763-6966.

Compassionate Friends

Anyone interested in information on The Compassionate Friends may contact Jean Cross and Walt Burney in Clarkton at 647-8401, or Jean Roney, Grief Counselor for Lower Cape Fear Hospice at 642-9051.

The Compassionate Friends, Inc. is an international self-help support organization offering hope to bereaved families following the death of a child of any age, from any cause. The national office, located in Oak Brook, Ill., serves more than 600 chapters across the 50 states. Locally, meetings are held on the second Monday of every month, at Grace Episcopal Church in Whiteville. Registration is not required. There are no membership fees or dues. The group invites all grieving parents to attend. For more information on the Web, contract www.thecompassionatefriends.org.

Housing Authority

accepting applications

The Bladenboro and Clarkton Housing Authorities are now accepting applications on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., and from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Immediate housing units are available upon completion of the eligibility process.

Persons interested in either location should apply at the main office located at 117 Main St. in Bladenboro. For more information, call 863-4919.

Guardian ad Litem seeks volunteers

Guardian ad Litem program of Columbus and Bladen Counties needs volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the court system. Free training provided. Make a difference in the life of a child.

Please call Sabrina Ward at 641-4034.

EBHS reunion planning sought

Members of the East Bladen High School Class of 1994 are interested in planning a class reunion. Contact Kimberly Melvin-Swindell at kswindell1@nc.rr.com, or Jane Howell-Salmon at janehowell2@hotmail.com.

Dance lessons at

Bladen Fitness Center

Dance lessons are back at Bladen Fitness Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays Lessons are for children ages 3 and up, and classes include tap, jazz and ballet.

Participants may enroll at any time.

For more information, call Bladen Fitness Services at 862-6533. To enroll, call Leslie Dumas at 850-6363.

Bladen NAACP meets on third Tuesdays

The Bladen County Chapter of the NAACP will meet the third Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the Focus Building on Martin Luther King Drive in Elizabethtown.